PixieCooks

Almost entirely inspired by Nigel Slater’s Mustardy Sausage Pasta (from his Simple Suppers programme), I made this sandwich to use up some onions that were in danger of sprouting. It was delicious, in the way that only really softly browned onions can be and I’d absolutely make double so I could have more sandwiches or adaptive pasta the next day!

Serves 3
Ingredients

• 6 Good Butcher’s Sausages (British Bangers)
• 3 Medium Onions, Diced (I used 2 white and one red because that’s what I had)
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tsp Wholegrain Mustard (adjust the mustard types and quantity to taste. I like a deep mustard taste without much bite to it)
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1/4 Pt/ 250Ml/ 1/2 Cup (Warm) Water
• 3 Baguettes (I used the part-baked kind so they were warm)

Pre-heat the oven to 200C (180Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6). Place the Sausages in an oven proof dish and cover with foil. Cook for around an hour (more doesn’t hurt, just be careful of burning!).

Whilst the sausages are cooking, heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and add the onions. Start them at a high heat, stirring well to avoid them catching, and once they’re beginning to brown lower the heat (to the lowest your hob can do) and cover, stirring regularly to pull any caramelised bits in off the bottom. After around 45 minutes, transfer the onions to an oven proof dish, cover and put into the oven alongside the sausages.

Heat the pan the onions cooked in (DON’T WASH IT FIRST!) and add the water, honey and mustard, stirring well to remove any lumps. Bring to the boil and continue stirring whilst the mixture thickens. When the mixture is thick and gloopy (like a bbq sauce) transfer to a bowl.

Spread the honey mustard dressing on each side of the baguette and slice the sausages vertically to help them sit in the sandwich without rolling out , top with the gorgeously soft, rich onions and serve with a dressed salad. Try not to have seconds immediately.

This is based on a toastie that a cafe near my parents used to make when I was small, the cafe is still there (it’s the Hunny Pot in Ayr) but alas they no longer make the toastie .

Serves 1
Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp crunchy Peanut Butter
• 3 Sticks of Celery, Diced
• 40g/1.5oz/0.5 Cup Grated/Shredded Cheese (I used a medium cheddar)
• 1 Baguette

Method
Spread the peanut butter equally on both sides of the baguette (crunchy really is better for texture, but use smooth if you absolutely must) and sprinkle over the celery.

Cover the baguettes with the grated cheese and pop under a hot grill (broiler) until the cheese is melted.

This sandwich is absolutely inspired by Subway’s Meatball Marinara © but contains a fair bit less salt, no meat and costs a fraction of the price. I also think it’s much tastier!

Serves 1, but easy to multiply
Ingredients

• 1 Baguette (I used one of those par-baked things, so it was warm. If yours isn’t, grill/broil it briefly to warm it through before assembly
• 1 Small Onion, Diced
• 6-12 Smallish Tomatoes, Past Their Best (if they’re new and very firm, half first)
• 2 Tsp Dried Basil (If you’re somewhere where herbs don’t come to die, use double the amount of fresh, shredded and add last minute)
• 1 Tsp Dried Oregano (See basil for instructions on fresh)
• 1 Clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Puree/Paste
• 50g/2oz Hard Goat’s Cheese
• Your Choice of Green Salad, Dressed as you like it (I used batavia lettuce, 3tsp extra v. olive oil, 1tsp lemon juice and 2tsp mediterranean herbed sea salt)

Method
Saute the onion in olive oil (be fairly generous). Once it is cooked but not coloured add the tomatoes, garlic and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, roughly break up the tomatoes.

Once the tomato juice (from the broken up tomatoes) has thickened a little, add the tomato puree and stir through. Continue to cook over a low heat until the sauce is thick and yummy.

Split the baguette lengthwise and cover one side with a layer of the tomato sauce. Lay the goats cheese in slices over the tomato sauce. Grill (broil for you american types) for a couple of minutes until the uncovered side is lightly toasted and the cheese is beginning to melt.

Add your salad. Eat. Delightful .

I’ve given up chips (fries) and crisps (chips) for Lent (again), but I’ve decided that these are distinctly more potatoey than anything else and therefore don’t count.

They take spice very well, but too much powdered spice will burn, so go a bit canny if you use it instead of the lemon pepper suggested here. I’ve had great success with smoked paprika and cumin seed, garlic salt and chilli flakes, and rosemary and thyme.

Ingredients

• Appropriate quantities of potato for the numbers you wish to feed (I’ve used all kinds of potato from King Edward to Jersey Royals with great success)
• Vegetable/Groundnut/Sunflower oil
• Freshly Ground Black Peppercorns to taste (a rough grinding – if your mill turns them to powder, grind in a mortar and pestle instead)
• Lemon rind to taste

Method
Scrub the potatoes clean and cut out any eyes or nasty bits (life is too short to peel a potato and all the good bits are in the skin, anyway) then chop lengthways into chunky wedges.

Put the wedges in a pot of cold, salted water (as a rough guide, if it comes out of the ground, put it in cold water, if it comes from above the ground, put it in boiling water) and bring to the boil. Boil for about five minutes – the wedges should yield easily to a knife point but remain intact (or intact ish. Any roughened edges will crisp up and be yummy…).

Use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to remove the lemon rind in fingernail sized pieces (use an unwaxed lemon for preference) and be careful not to get the bitter white pith with the rind.

Drain the potatoes well and put into a bag with sufficient oil to lightly coat all the wedges, and the seasonings. They can be left in this bag, in the fridge, up to overnight if you want.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C (180c Fan assisted/F/Gas Mark), put the wedges on a baking tray and cook in the oven for twenty minutes, turning after 10minutes.

The wedges should be crispy and beginning to caramelise a little bit. Serve with fish, chicken or anywhere you would chips.

I had a whole lot of carrots sitting making me feel guilty from the fridge and while I like raw carrot (more than I like most cooked carrot to be honest) I didn’t really feel like flinging them into a “normal” salad with my usual olive oil/balsamic or olive oil/lemon juice mediterranean dressing. A little bit of poking about in the fridge and cupboards resulted in a Carrot, Cumin and Brie Salad. Nom.

Serves One
Ingredients

• 2 Medium Carrots, Scrubbed or Peeled and chopped into short batons
• 2 Sticks of Celery, finely sliced
• 2 Spring Onions (scallions), finely sliced
• As Much Lettuce as you feel like, finely chopped (which means this must be eaten immediately otherwise it will brown very quickly)
• As Much Brie as you feel like, ripped into bite-sized chunks
• 3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• Large Pinch Cumin Seeds

Method
Combine the oil, lemon juice and seeds in a mortar and pestle, grind the seeds to break them all up and leave for the taste to amalgamate whilst you are preparing the salad.

Combine the vegetables and brie in a bowl and dress with the cumin dressing.

Serve with some crusty bread or oatcakes.

I was out for lunch with m’colleagues the other day at an italian buffet place (I work with boys, quantity is important to them) and whilst they got stuck into the pizza and pasta on offer I had a wee look at the salad bar (not to say I abstained from the pizza or pasta, for I did not, I just didn’t eat enough to sink a ship). The potato salad, in particular, was incredibly good and I (after several mouthfuls and a fair bit of thought) worked out that it was due to the thyme.

This recipe is not that salad (it was of the more traditional mayonnaisey variety), but it is completely lush.

If you’re ever in Glasgow and craving an Italian buffet lunch, you should check out Azzimo – the spicy chicken pasta and the equivalent pizza are both highly recommended and at just shy of £7 a head it’s well worth it.

Serves ~4
Ingredients

• Roughly 16 New/Salad Potatoes (I used Charlotte)
• 1/2 Medium Red onion, Sliced paper-thin
• The Leaves from 6 Stalks of Thyme
• 3Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 Rashers Bacon (I used Ayrshire Middle bacon which has back and streaky – or Canadian and American – within the same slice. But whatever unsmoked you like is fine)

Method
Wash and boil the potatoes for around 15minutes (until tender to the point of a knife). If there are any larger potatoes in the mix, cut them in half.

Whilst the potatoes are boiling prepare the dressing. Mix the oil, lemon juice and thyme in a large bowl, add the onions, ensuring they are sliced as thinly as you can cut them (the trick is that the rawness will “cook” out of them with the lemon juice and the warmth of the potatoes, so they need to be very thin)

Grill or fry the bacon until it is cooked but not too crispy, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using scissors, cut into very thin strips (similar to the onion) and mix with the rest of the dressing.

Drain the potatoes well and whilst they are still warm add them to the dressing and mix well.

The salad is best still warm, but okay cold. It will keep in the refrigerator, but let it come back up to room temperature before serving.

I was looking for something light to eat after a very soporific lunch out with my colleagues, and digging around the fridge I found some homemade chicken stock and some tikka chicken (the pre-sliced stuff, made for sandwiches and salad) and with a little bit of heat, spice and stirring I made some lovely soup.

It would work with a good pre-made stock (although chicken stock is a breeze to make and freezes very well) and any cooked chicken.

2-3 hearty portions
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Pints Chicken Stock
• 1 Pack Sliced Tikka Chicken (225g/80z, chop to bite-sized if required)
• 4 Spring Onions/Scallions, Sliced
• Small Thumb Fresh Ginger, Finely Diced
• 1 Clove Garlic, Finely Diced
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• Handful Rice Noodles (the kind that cook in 5 minutes in hot water)

Method

Bring the stock to the boil, add all the other ingredients other than the noodles. Simmer for 10 minutes and taste, adding more spice and seasoning as neccessary (I added cumin seeds and the seeds from a handful of cardamom pods)

Add the noodles and swirl through the soup as they soften.

Serve, gathering a ladle of noodles and chicken before a ladle of broth (it’s easier to portion out fairly that way!).

If you have a different kind of chicken, change the spices to suit, five spice with chinese chicken, etc.. Lemon juice works with nearly all the flavours as it just perks up the poultry flavour. If you’re stuffed up or feeling blue add a little fresh chopped chilli to give the soup more kick.

I really like tinned tuna – it’s tasty, versatile and with some judicious shopping it’s also cheap – but I’ve never got on particularly well with tuna steaks; I’ve always ended up finding them a bit dull and no more special than tinned. This recipe however was my tuna game changer, it’s seriously delicious.

I’ve tagged it 2* difficulty but that’s really because it needs to be marinated which isn’t hard but does require a bit of planning.

Serves 2
Ingredients

• Marinade
• 3Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 4Tbsp Soft Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Garlic Clove, Minced
• 2 Tuna Steaks
• Noodles
• 2Tbsp Peanut Butter
• 1/2 Tsp Chilli Flakes
• 1Tbsp Soy Sauce
• Around 2 Tbsp Boiling Water
• Sufficient Noodles For 2 (I used brown rice noodles that cook in hot water for 5 minutes)
• 3 Spring Onions/Scallions, Chopped

Method
Add all the marinade ingredients (except the tuna) to a pan and heat very gently, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool and pour over the tuna, ensuring all sides are covered. Marinade for 30-60minutes.

Once the tuna is marinaded, fry in a hot pan using a small amount of vegetable oil for 1-2 minutes on each side. Don’t move the steak once it’s in the pan until you’re turning it, the trick is to make a crispy, yummy, crusty bit with the glaze.

Add all the noodle ingredients (except the noodles and spring onions) to a bowl and microwave for a minute (if you keep your peanut butter in the fridge, take it out a couple of hours beforehand so it’s not like trying to chip bits off a rock). Stir to combine, and add more boiling water if required to bring the consistency down to that of mayonnaise.

Cook the noodles as described on the packet, drain and combine with the peanutty sauce. Garnish with the spring onions.

Lorne (or square) sausage is a lovely Scottish breakfast food, and my local butcher makes a particularly yummy version with black pudding in the centre. I picked some up on saturday to enjoy as a sunday brunch along with some saute potatoes and baked beans, add a big mug of tea and the papers in a sunny kitchen and it’s a lovely way to spend a morning.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to get hold of some lorne sausage you’ll see that it’s just about the perfect shape for putting in a roll (Morton’s for preference!) – infinitely better than messing around with recalcitrant links (bangers) – and if you can get some with black pudding (or, even better, a little haggis) in the middle do try it, the sausage keeps the centre moist and delicious.

Saute potatoes are a cracking way to use up any left over boiled potatoes – especially if they’re extras from making potato salad as waxy textured potatoes are best – or just a quick and tasty savoury carb for breakfast or brunch that doesn’t involve getting something out of the freezer.

Enough for one, but just up the potatoes for more!
Ingredients

• 1-2 Medium Waxy Potatoes, Diced
• 2tbsp Vegetable Oil
• Crushed Sea Salt, to taste

Method
If your potatoes are already cooked, simply dice the cooked potato, otherwise, dice the potatoes (skin on, but remove any eyes etc) and place in pan of cold water. Bring to boil and boil for 5 minutes, or until they yield to a fork but do not break up.

Drain the potatoes well (I sit them, once they’re drained, in the colander over the still warm pan to steam off). Heat the oil in a large, heavy based frying pan (skillet) and add the potatoes (they should hiss a little as they start to fry). Move the potatoes regularly, but gently – don’t break them up, until all the sides are golden brown.

Serve sprinkled with a little crushed sea salt.

I’m a big garlic fan – bruchetta, garlic bread, heavenly bolognese, mmh – but I don’t like it so terribly much raw (when it’s so strong it almost burns your tongue, and no one wants to talk to you too closely for a couple of days) so I tend not to have it in more salady things. Roasted garlic is perfect for salads, or possibly just for eating, sneakily, straight from the bowl. The flavour is softened by the roasting and is warmer and rounder with a lovely caramelised undertone.

Serves 1 garlic lover
Mozzarella, Tomato and Roasted Garlic Sandwich

• 1 Bulb of Garlic
• Glug of Olive Oil
• 4 Cherry Tomatoes
• around 125g/5oz Mozzarella
• 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 6 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pinch unground sea salt crystals
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Method
Gently peel the garlic bulb until the cloves are exposed, but still covered (see the picture) and gently cut across the top so that all the individual cloves are exposed. Wrap the bulb tightly in foil and add the olive oil.

Cook at 200C (180C fan assisted/400F/Gas mark 6) for half an hour. Remove from foil and squeeze the individual cloves out of the bulb.

I added all the roast garlic to my sandwich, but I love garlic and any cloves you don’t use can be kept, covered in olive oil, in the fridge.

Combine the garlic, balsamic, extra virgin olive oil and un-ground salt to a mortar and pestle and work into a puree (if you don’t have a mortal and pestle you can mash with a fork). Add salt and pepper to taste – the pepper will bring out the tomato flavour.

Chop the tomatoes into halves or quarters and slice the mozzerella and add to the garlicy mixture. Serve in a warm bagette with a green salad.